UN's silence on Darfur denounced as "shameful"
Thursday, 28 Feb 2008 12:13
UN security council inaction on Darfur branded "shameful"
Sudan In Focus
Efforts to secure a peace agreement in Darfur appear to be stymied by the region's deep political complexities. Full Story
The failure of the United Nations security council to condemn Sudan's actions in Darfur has been condemned as "shameful" by a leading human rights organisation.
New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) has sent a letter to the council imploring it to "strongly denounce" Khartoum and impose sanctions following fresh violence in Darfur.
The UN's own estimates say 200,000 people have been killed and 2.5 million displaced since the conflict between the government-backed Janjaweed militia and rebel groups began in 2002.
In the letter addressed to the security council, HRW says the UN's inaction has "given Sudan a green light to continue attacking civilian targets, flouting international law and security council resolutions".
Georgette Gagnon, Africa director at HRW, said hundreds of civilians had been killed by Sudanese troops in Darfur in February alone.
"The Sudanese government's recent attacks take us back to the very darkest days of the conflict," she said.
"The security council shouldn't stand by as though this is 'business as usual.'"
Ms Gagnon added that recent army bombardments had prevented humanitarian aid from reaching the worst-affected areas of Darfur, where a critically under-strength UN and African Union peacekeeping force is struggling to make an impact.
"These horrific attacks on civilians show Khartoum's confidence that there will be no real consequences for its actions. It's time for the security council to prove them wrong," Ms Gagnon argued, calling on Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir and senior members of his government to be personally investigated.